Milton marshal thanks county for its assistance

Law enforcement in Milton has historically been a part-time marshal working a few hours a week. Recent changes mean Milton now has a fully functioning police department.

Marshal Tom Geiselman visited the Wayne County commissioners’ Oct. 8 meeting to thank them for their contributions impacting the change. “The county has been very generous to us, which has played a very meaningful part in our success,” Geiselman said.

The commissioners provided Milton a Chevrolet Tahoe police vehicle that was withdrawn from Wayne County Sheriff’s Office service and allocated opioid settlement money for the purchase of two radios with encryption capabilities.

“I’m here to tell you today, because of our partnership, Milton is a bona fide, fully operational police department,” Geiselman said.

The department now has two full-time positions and two-part time positions, although one part-time slot is not filled. It is also establishing a reserve program.

The staffing and equipment upgrades have helped increase the department’s capabilities. During 2024, it handled 174 calls for service, made 330 traffic stops and investigated eight criminal cases. Already this year, Geiselman said, the department has more than 200 calls for service, 280 traffic stops and 25 criminal cases.

The department also participates in the county’s Internet Crimes against Children Task Force and in the Comprehensive Highway Injury Reduction Program.

Commissioner Brad Dwenger recently visited Milton for business and toured the police department, including its evidence room. Growing up in the area, he’s familiar with Milton’s policing history, and he noticed the difference.

“It is a fully fledged police department now, so I was impressed,” Dwenger said. “They’re making big strides over there.”

Geiselman said the department would welcome — and will ask for — continued county assistance. He said Milton can enhance its fleet with vehicles the county takes out of service. Geiselman pointed out that the Tahoe has more than 140,000 miles and is still driven every day.

“We are happy to help you whenever we can,” Commissioner Jeff Plasterer said, noting that anything that helps Milton also helps the county.

QuikTrip driveways

A planned QuikTrip gas station and convenience store northwest of the U.S. 27 and Interstate 70 interchange will receive permits for two driveways on Highland Road.

Commissioners voted 3-0 that the county should grant the permits, provided QuikTrip receives Indiana Department of Transportation permission to change the radius of the corner. According to Brandon Sanders, the county engineer, the current corner radius will not allow tractor-trailers to turn right from Highland Road onto southbound U.S. 27 without encroaching on the second traffic lane.

Sanders and Mike Sharp, the county’s highway supervisor, explained other INDOT mandates to QuikTrip for the Highland-U.S. 27 intersection. While Sanders and Sharp prefer a traffic light at the intersection, INDOT will not install a light because the intersection is too close to the interchange. Instead, INDOT plans to require that QuikTrip install a concrete median on U.S. 27 to restrict Highland Road traffic from both sides of U.S. 27 to right turns only. 

QuikTrip would be required to build a U-turn lane 500 feet north of the intersection; however, Sharp and Sanders expressed concern the proposed U-turn lane is not big enough to accommodate tractor-trailers or recreational vehicles leaving the KOA campground that’s east of 27.

Sanders and Sharp are lobbying INDOT for a bigger U-turn lane.

Other issues

• Sharp received unanimous commissioner approval to purchase a Kubota tractor from Rogan Equipment of Richmond for $66,900 and to purchase a $21,000 mower from Killough Farm Equipment of Milton. Sharp will receive a trade-in value for a 1999 Massey Ferguson tractor, or the county will sell it through an online auction.
• Sanders requested permission to apply for an INDOT Community Crossings matching grant for Gravel Pit Road bridge and paving projects. The bridge’s deck is rated in poor condition, necessitating a $1.3 million project, and applying a 2-inch asphalt overlay to the roadway extending from the city limits to Indiana 121 is an $80,000 project. The total grant request is $707,000.
• Commissioners approved a $23,000 contract with LWC Inc. for preparation of bid documents involving a project on the courthouse’s west side. Commissioners plan to improve the driveway — they prefer a circle drive — and to fence in the courthouse’s arched opening.
• The federal government shutdown has locked Wayne County Soil and Water Conservation District employees out of their Round Barn Road office space, which is leased from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Commissioners voted to permit the employees to work from home during the shutdown.
• A restructuring of job assignments created a director of development position to oversee county building and planning departments, but commissioners have struggled to find a person with skills to supervise both departments. During budget discussions, county council has asked to cut either that position or the county’s planning director position. Commissioners voted to maintain the planning director position and remove the director of development position from the 2026 budget.